The early preseason rankings are out and I think Alabama is underrated.

Alabama preseason #2

Philon was mocked as a first-round pick by Bleacher Report today. Nate Oats spoke about the buzz and Philon's impact so far.

The updated Rivals 250 is now out. Some quick highlights:

• 5-star QB Keelon Russell moved up to the #3 overall player.
• 5-star OL Michael Carroll moved up the #14 overall player.
• 5-star CB Dijon Lee moved up to the #25 overall player.
• 4-star OL Jackson Lloyd moved up 172 spots to the #60 overall player.

Overall, I felt like the rankings made sense with two exceptions:

• 4-star WOLF LB Justin Hill moved up only 2 spots to the #128 overall player. I truly feel Hill is a top 100 player.
• 3-star WR Lotzier Brooks did move from a low 3-star (5.5) to a high 3-star (5.7). Brooks should definitely be in the Rivals 250 but he is not.

With the updated player rankings, Alabama's 2025 class moved up one spot and is now ranked #5 overall. But keep in mind, the Tide has only 20 commits in its class while each of the programs ahead of Bama have at least 25 commits on their list.

The Tide moves up to No. 7 and the No. 9 seed in the playoff which would see Alabama in a matchup at No. 8 seed Notre Dame.

Full rankings here:

Can Alabama contend against another team with size? Will the cover finally come off the rim? What does Nate Oats want to see from Mark Sears after a lackluster performance against Purdue?

Plus game info, right here:

By Marquette 76-58. Wow- makes loss look a little worse.

I love this guy.
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Everyone seems concerned about the extra game in the SEC Championship game. That being said, if we win it, we get 1st round bye and gain the extra game we played back by getting the 1st round bye. Right?

With everyone trying to make sense of the tiebreakers amongst all the 2-loss teams, I think the easiest way to discern who will be playing in the SECCG is to look at the Vegas odds. If things go “as planned” over the next 2 weeks - which means Bama wins out and Texas beats A&M - Vegas is telling us that it will be Bama vs. Texas.

Texas (+145) is a slight favorite over Bama (+150) to win the SEC. The next closest is Georgia (+310)…followed by Texas A&M (+1700). So, Vegas is definitely expecting Texas to beat the Aggies, which would apparently set up a Bama/Texas SECCG.

This is much easier (to me) than trying to understand how the tiebreaker will work when there’s a logjam of 2-loss SEC teams. Based on these odds, Bama would win the tiebreaker and play a 1-loss Texas for the SECC.

It’s getting wild. USC lost the Carrolton QB today and then flipped a QB from A&M right after. I think our day is coming to where we add instead of lose. Hopefully Dear is locked in like he says.
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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas receiver Johntay Cook II, a top recruit in the 2023 class who has struggled for playing time this season, has left the Longhorns program, coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday.

Sarkisian called Cook’s departure “mutual between the two of us” but did not elaborate.

“We have nothing but respect for he (and) his family. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors,” Sarkisian said.

Cook was one of the top receivers nationally when he signed with Texas out of Dallas.

Oats said he should have given Sherrell another opportunity against Purdue and that the freshman forward should see more time on the court against Illinois on Wednesday.

Not that anyone here really cares, but a stunning finish on the Farm. Tied at 35, Stanford defends a Hail Mary on fourth down and gets the ball on their side of the field with five seconds left. They throw a quick out for a yard and the clock stops with one second left. The defender won't let go of the receivers ankle and ends up shoving him. 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Stanford lines up for a 57 yard kick. Louisville jumps offsides. Now a 52 yard attempt. The kicker, who sat out for two years recovering from a broken hip, kicks it 56 yards and splits the uprights for the game winner. Louisville gave up 20 yards of penalties with 1 second left enabling the kid to make the kick. Simply Stunning.

Stanford is not good. But they beat ranked Louisville on Senior Day. . . .

Big one for the Crimson Tide here. Alabama did not have a safety commit in 2025 and now lands a blue-chip prospect at the positon. The Tide has been near the top for Taylor since the summer and he was on campus for the Georiga game, which allowed Alabama to gain crucial momentum in his recruitment.

Taylor is the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor.

More here:

Oats spoke to reporters Tuesday.

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — After needing some time for himself this spring, Washington transfer center Parker Brailsford didn’t take long to find his fit in Alabama’s offensive line. He had a much tougher time with the transition to his new crimson helmet.

Jalen Milroe, Jihaad Campbell, Parker Brailsford, Malchi Moore and Zabien Brown spoke to reporters ahead of Alabama's matchup against Mercer. Interviews here:

Jalen Milroe

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Next week's Iron Bowl is scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be televised on ABC.

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Milroe has the chance to become just the fourth SEC quarterback with at least 20 passing and 20 rushing touchdowns.

The team announced the signings of Davion Hannah, Amari Allen and London Jemison today. Really nice haul for Alabama in 2025 so far, and the Tide remains linked to a few other top prospects.

Nice couple of bounceback games for Tua. Good to see Christian Barmore back out there as well.